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Thor The Dark World: Rewriting Malekith
FOREWORD: Malekith could have been really memorable if he had a backstory and a more understandable motive. This is my interpretation of how rewriting him could have made him one of the greats. Also, this article is incomplete as the "abilities" and "equipment" sections as well as parts of "biography" need some work. Enjoy the article and tell me if I should do one for Surtur! Malekith (Mälekith in Shiväisith) was the utterly cruel and malevolent leader of the Dark Elves, a race of beings said to be older than the universe itself. Born in a realm of complete darkness, Malekith had led his people in a War against the Asgardians, using an ancient weapon known as the Aether, but they were thought to have been destroyed thousands of years ago during a final battle against the Asgardian King Bor. Malekith had survived, however, and after going into hiding for thousands of years, he returned during the Convergence and sought to retake the Aether and use its power to transform the universe by plunging it back into eternal darkness. Before his attempt could succeed, however, Malekith and his armies were finally defeated by Bor's grandson, Thor, in the Battle of Greenwich, resulting in the eventual death of Malekith. Biography Prehistory Ruling Existence Like the rest of the Dark Elf race, Malekith originated in the Ginnungagap ("yawning abyss"), the vast, primordial darkness that existed prior to the creation of the manifest universe. It was here that he reigned absolute and unchallenged for tens of billions of years. He was a benevolent leader who ruled his subjects by earning their respect, rather than invoking fear. Because he was strict and firm, yet selfless and fair, all of Malekith's soldiers expressed blind loyalty to their leader and he became worshiped as a god-like figure to the Dark Elves. Stonekeeper When the Big Bang brought about the creation of the universe, six singularities were formed into the six Infinity Stones by the Cosmic Entities. Each stone represented a different aspect of the universe (Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time, and Soul). Malekith was tasked by the Cosmic Entities as the guardian of the Reality Stone. He eventually accepted his fate and guarded the stone loyally, whilst continuing to watch over the Dark Elves, who had relocated with him to Svartalfheim. Knowing he could not carry out both of these overwhelming and essential tasks alone, he appointed an elf named Algrim as his second-in-command to help him carry out both of these tasks. As billions of years passed, Malekith's awareness increased that many beings believed if they could take the stone from him, they could make all their fantasies and wishes a reality, and wipe all they disliked from existence. To ensure that never happened, Malekith and Algrim used its power to forge the Aether, a dark-red fluid-like weapon that had the capability to turn matter into dark matter and turn the universe into darkness. In the mix, he married a female Dark Elf and they bore a child together. First Dark Elf Conflict Declaration of War Eventually, the forces of Asgard and their King Bor became aware of the nature of the Aether, leading their king to seek the Aether to ensure the safety and prosperity of his kingdom. Believing no man could use the Aether wisely and without dire consequences, Malekith refused to simply give it to him, resulting in Asgard declaring war on Svartalfheim. However, Malekith refused to use the Aether to make Asgard disappear entirely, as he had qualms about wiping out an entire race without warning them or giving them a chance to defend themselves. However, he did use it to conjure Kurse Stones to make his soldiers stronger, although he never forced them to become Kursed without their consent. First Battle of Svartalfheim Thousands of years ago, Malekith waited for the beginning of the long awaited Convergence, gathering his army in an attempt to harness the power of the Aether and use its destructive power to annihilate Asgard and the rest of the Nine Realms, to destroy the resistance and its potential extensions once and for all. When the Convergence began, Malekith put his plan into motion and went to get the Aether. However, the plot was intercepted by the Asgardians who arrived on Svartalfheim to defeat the Dark Elves, leading to a large scale battle. Watching the battle unfold beside Algrim, Malekith ordered his own soldiers to use the Kurse Stones to give themselves enhanced strength, while he moved to absorb the Aether into his own body in order to gain the ability to unleash its power upon the Nine Realms and finally gain his greatest victory over the Asgardians. Mere moments before Malekith was going to touch the Aether, more Asgardian forces, led by King Bor, managed to use the Bifrost Bridge and steal the Aether from the Dark Elves, while Malekith was preoccupied cutting down three Asgardian soldiers, ending Malekith's War. Horrified at losing the stone he had guarded for so long, and fearing dire punishment by the Cosmic Entities, Malekith sacrificed the majority of his people, including his own wife and son, in an attempt to wipe out all the Asgardian invaders, putting himself, his second in command Algrim and a few survivors into hibernation until the next Convergence. Second Dark Elf Conflict The Aether's Return Thousands of years since the First Battle of Svartalfheim, during which time King Bor had died while Asgard and all the Nine Realms were currently being ruled by his son Odin, the vengeful Malekith was still in his long hyper-sleep, awaiting the chance to regain the stone. He was onboard the Ark as he was suddenly and unexpectedly awoken as power was returned across the Ark. He then began searching for the reason for his awakening. As Malekith and his remaining army began exploring the Ark, Malekith realized the reason was because the Aether had been discovered when it was accidentally absorbed into the body of a human woman named Jane Foster, signalling the beginning of the Convergence. The Aether's reactivity allowed Malekith to sense its location as he called upon all his army to prepare for their next war against Asgard to finally reclaim their greatest weapon and in doing so, compensate for what he perceived as his ultimate failure. Malekith first traveled back to his home world of Svartalfheim, which had been all but destroyed during the great war between the Dark Elves and Asgardian Army, with hundreds of Arks littered across the burnt wasteland. His face stricken with grief and remorse, Malekith mourned his fallen soldiers. Algrim attempted to comfort Malekith by reminding him of all the Dark Elves still alive due to his actions, Malekith swore to avenge his fallen brothers by reclaiming the Aether and using its immense power to avenge Asgard and the Nine Realms by bathing them in eternal night. He lamented that the Nine Realms would look upon their condition and never molest the Dark Elves again, while the rest of the universe would look on and remember what happened when Infinity Stones were abused. Malekith and the Dark Elves started searching for the Aether across all of the Nine Realms, eventually discovering that Jane Foster had been transported from Earth to Asgard in order to have the Aether removed from her body as its incredible power was slowly killing her. Knowing that the Asgardians would defend Foster and would stand a chance at defeating them in combat, Malekith devised a new plan to regain the Aether by tricking all of the armies of Asgard. Malekith sent his lieutenant Algrim into the city under the guise of a prisoner captured in the Battle of Vanaheim which was still raging on. As part of a ritual action, Malekith stabbed Algrim in the stomach and then stored a Kursed Stone inside Algrim's gut which would make him indestructible and allow him to destroy Asgard's defenses from the inside, allowing their Dark Elf Harrows to attack the Asgardian Palace with the force they needed to defeat the armies. Sacking of Asgard Malekith sent his Dark Elf Harrows to fly into Asgard and invade the city. While Algrim used the Kursed Stone to transform himself into a Kursed and freed the inmates, including Lorelei, he managed to lower Asgard's defenses. Malekith's own ship crashed into the city and his soldiers attacked the guards. While the Dark Elves held back the Asgardian Soldiers, Malekith calmly walked through the room, ignoring the battle and gazing upon Odin's throne. Feeling disgusted by the nostalgia it gave him to remember who had once sat upon it, Malekith spat on the floor and drew a Black Hole Grenade from an indifferent Dark Elf and annihilated the chair. While his army of Dark Elves continued to battle the Asgardians inside and outside the city walls, Malekith went to the palace room, where he found Queen Frigga protecting Jane Foster from harm. As Frigga demanded that he leave under the promise that if he did he would survive the battle, Malekith introduced himself to the pair and demanded that they hand over the Aether to him, claiming that it belonged to him and that he had survived worse battles. When Malekith attempted to capture Foster and regain his ultimate weapon, Frigga defended her by attacking Malekith with her sword. Being forced to fight back, Malekith drew his sword, reluctant to turn his full might against a woman. Consequentially, the pair engaged in a brief but vicious sword-fight. Because Malekith was respectfully holding back, and Frigga was putting all her might and skill into defending the young human from the Dark Elf, Malekith was disarmed and defeated in single combat with the Asgardian Queen, with Frigga ending the fight by threatening to cut his throat. As Frigga held her blade to Malekith's throat, the Dark Elf remained confident as moments later, Kurse arrived and restrained Frigga, disarming her and using his unbeatable strength to hold her back. With his enemies seemingly defeated, Malekith smiled at Kurse and then confidently went to grab Foster and reclaim the Aether, only to discover that she was an illusion created by Frigga's magic and the true Foster was hidden safely away in another room of the palace. Understandably enraged, Malekith called Frigga a witch and demanded to know where the Aether was, fearing for once that he was well-pressed to fail. Realizing that Frigga would not talk, and knowing Frigga would immediately strike him down if she were set free regardless of her gender, Malekith allowed Kurse to kill her by stabbing her through the heart. Thor, witnessing the death of his beloved mother, angrily struck Malekith's face with lightning, leaving a permanent burn on the right side of his face. Kurse carried his injured master and together they jumped on board a Dark Elf Harrow and escaped to their Ark before Thor and Odin could destroy them in revenge. Battle on Svartalfheim Malekith was taken back to the Ark where his injuries were treated while his Dark Elf forces prepared to attack Asgard again and reclaim their greatest weapon. Kurse checked on his leader's recovery and insisted that they must attack Asgard again while the Asgardian Army were still weak after the last battle and their defenses were low, however Malekith sensed that Thor and Loki had chosen to disobey Odin's orders and decided instead to move Jane Foster to Svartalfheim in order to draw Malekith out. Seeing this chance, Malekith ordered his soldiers to return to their home world. Malekith witnessed the Asgardian's arrival on their home world and was surprised when Loki suddenly betrayed his brother by seemingly stabbing him in the side before kicking him off the side of the cliff and cutting off his hand, surrendering Foster to the Dark Elves. Loki then told Malekith that all he wanted in exchange for his partnership was a seat from where he could watch Asgard burn as he claimed to only want to see Thor and Odin lying dead at his feet. While Malekith considered the offer, Kurse recognized Loki as a fellow prisoner within the Asgardian Dungeons who he had seen during his breakout in the chaos of the Sacking of Asgard, confirming this to his superior. Malekith took Kurse's word with a nod and mocked Thor as he lay moaning in pain on the ground, kicking him onto his back. As the Dark Elf extracted the Aether from Foster, it was revealed that Loki cutting off his brother's hand was actually an illusion. Summoning his hammer, Mjølnir, Thor attempted to destroy the Aether while Loki protected Foster, only for the Aether to reconstitute itself almost instantly. Malekith explained that the Aether could not be destroyed and absorbed it, leaving his Dark Elves and Kurse to deal with his two Asgardian opponents. Malekith then made his way to Earth, where he would unleash the Aether into the Convergence and then finally obliterate the Nine Realms as well as the universe. His reasons for doing so were unclear, but one thing was obvious: his hatred for Asgard had embittered him and caused him to hate the change of being a Stonekeeper, realizing he could have used the Aether to resume his rule over existence and wipe the other Infinity Stones out of existence. Attack on Earth Arriving on Earth onboard the Ark, Malekith and his forces marched onto the ground of London where dozens of innocent bystanders ran in fear, including Darcy Lewis and Ian Boothby. Malekith looked up where he witnessed portals in the sky opening up as the Convergence began, signally the beginning of the end of the Nine Realms. Before Malekith could begin unleashing his weapon, they were soon confronted once again by Thor, who had survived his battle with Kurse, although Loki had seemingly been killed along with Kurse. Taking it that his loyal sidekick had fallen, Malekith angrily asserted that the Asgardian Royal Family would perish. With the Aether enhancing his power and abilities, Malekith battled Thor, absorbing the power of his lightning and throwing him through the air with great force. However, he once again held back, knowing they were not at all locked in a fair fight, and delighting in the fear Thor felt because he was aware of it. Their fight quickly led to them being thrown through various portals left by the Convergence. Malekith's diluted fighting tactics and Thor's full might were equal, finding that neither could overpower the other as they were teleported over the Nine Realms. Malekith methodically attempted to use the laws of physics to disarm Thor of Mjølnir with the portals, finally succeeding when they arrived on Svartalheim, leaving the Prince of Asgard nearly defenseless. Malekith used this to his advantage as he hit him with a blast of power from the Aether while beating him to the ground before they fell through more portals. While on Jotunheim they were almost killed by a Frost Beast before escaping. Unleashing the Aether Eventually, Malekith cited that he grew weary of playing Thor's games and teleported him miles across London without Mjølnir to help him get back. Returning to the side of the Ark with the Convergence in full effect, Malekith began unleashing the Aether's power upon the Nine Realms, sucking all the light out of the Realms and causing horrific devastation upon his enemies. Malekith made a huge burning cloud with the Aether's power which ripped apart everything in its range. Thor returned and confronted Malekith, yelling that he should have killed him. Ignoring him, Malekith claimed his opinion was redundant and casually asked if he wanted to see the end of the universe. Thor defiantly demanded his surrender as he threw a teleportation device Erik Selvig had created at him, before the device activated and teleported his right arm through a portal. Thor then threw the second device, which then teleported his remaining arm away. Simply using the Aether to restore his arms, the Dark Elf arrogantly dismissed Thor's efforts, declaring that the Aether cannot be destroyed. Thor declared that he can at least destroy the creature older than time as he summoned Mjølnir and slammed the last teleportation device into Malekith's chest, sending him crashing into the Ark. Subsequently, Jane Foster activated the device, sending him to Svartalfheim. Malekith fell on his back, weakened by the battle, moments later, Selvig used another device to teleport Malekith's Ark to the Dark Elf's location and he was subsequently crushed and killed by the ship's bulk. Malekith looked up at the atmosphere, delighting in the sight of his home one last time before accepting his fate as the ship's bulk crushed and slew a creature far older than time itself, doubly leaving the Aether unprotected. Legacy Posthumous Effects Ironically, in spite of Malekith's fears that Asgard would dare use the Aether for their own ends, Odin was in fact different from his father, as he had the weapon taken offworld as soon as possible following the fall of the Dark Elf. It was given to the only known being who was nearly as old as Malekith, the Collector, as the idea of turning the Aether over to the Grandmaster or Dormammu were considered laughable by Volstagg and Lady Sif. Personality Malekith was a fair and benevolent leader, as the Dark Elves gravitated to him as a leader who had earned their respect and at least indirectly provided them with all they had, rather than a brutal tyrant who demanded submission as an alternative to death. Malekith cares deeply about the survival of the Dark Elves as he looked saddened whilst overviewing the wasteland of Svartalfheim and the destroyed ships and corpses of his fallen brothers. Despite this, he was often seen by others as a ruthless and warmonging creature responsible for bringing pain and chaos to Asgard. He was stated by Odin, who had presumably been warned by his father about him, to be the most ruthless of his kind. Since the war against the Dark Elves and Asgardians that ended in his species complete annihilation and the Aether being stolen from him, Malekith grew a hateful personality in his exile and was deeply embittered by the losses he faced. After this Malekith not only sought to plunge Asgard into eternal night with the reclaimed Aether but, as Jane Foster revealed just prior to the Battle of Greenwich, the entire universe, showing his rage had lessened his sanity and made him want to continue reigning over existence and forget his place as Stonekeeper after failing to triumph in the Sacking of Asgard. In the end, while all have a light and dark side, Malekith, being increasingly embittered by his situation, had ultimately succumbed to his darker nature, making him a true supervillain. Despite his honorability and benevolence, Malekith often used harsh or extreme methods to bring about a greater good, clearly believing that the ends justify the means. Perhaps the most extreme example of this is that Malekith would sacrifice his own men if it were to help in achieving his goals, in a final slight to make sure the Asgardians suffered as much as they did, destroyed his ships with countless Dark Elves still within and the collective damage on the surface of the planet, culminated in Malekith destroying more of his species than the Asgardians did. He reasoned that when he reclaimed the Aether, he would alter the reality and render them alive once more. He also Kursed his allies, including his second-in-command, Algrim, though he never did so without their consent. However, he did not always tell them what being Kursed would do to them, even though Algrim at least appeared to be aware of what came with his immense strength. Malekith is also fair, no matter what the odds are. He warned Frigga not to attack him and held back during their duel, mostly out of a respect for women. In spite of the severe threat the Asgardians posed, he had qualms about killing an entire race without giving them a warning or a chance to defend themselves, and so he fought against Asgard instead of turning them into works of fiction or worse. He also refused to break the laws of nature to triumph against an opponent, even in a state of utter insanity. Although he could have made Mjonir disappear or rendered Thor a weakling, fool, or both, he instead attempted to disarm the far younger Asgardian the noble way by luring Thor into portals and letting his hammer disappear of its own accord, assailing him with black matter instead of turning him into a Kursed or something of that ilk. When he died, he did not attempt to roll away from the mothership about to land on him, and died with honor, knowing he had played by the rules and proceeded to accept his fate as he passed into the void. Powers and Abilities Powers Dark Elf Physiology: Malekith possesses various superhuman attributes, some of which are common to his infamous race, the Dark Elves. However, as the leader, his attributes reign supreme among them, except for the Kursed. *'Superhuman Strength': Malekith, like all Dark Elves, possesses superhuman strength. Ordinarily, Malekith possesses sufficient strength to overpower weaker beings, such as several Einherjars, without supplementing his strength with his other powers, with his strength being even great enough to wield an Infinity Stone. However, after absorbing the Aether, Malekith became much stronger, with his strength increasing to immense superhuman levels, up to the point where he can evenly match Thor's incredible strength even with Thor wielding Mjølnir with his bare hands, with Malekith being able to block and eventually repel a full-power blow from Thor's hammer and harm him. *'Superhuman Durability': Malekith's body is extremely durable, much more resistant to physical injury than the body of a human. Malekith has withstood exposure to the temperature and pressure extremes of Jotunheim, falls from great heights, powerful energy blasts, and even numerous, mighty blows from Thor wielding Mjølnir, all without sustaining any permanent injuries. Though a powerful lighting blast from Mjølnir did blacken the right side of Malekith's face, he was not affected much besides that. Additionally, Malekith was one of the extremely few beings with durability great enough to withstand and wield the power of an Infinity Stone. However, Malekith's durability still had its limits - as Thor was able to sever both of the Dark Elf's arms by having them teleported back to Svartalfheim, and succeeded in smashing the last teleportation device into Malekith's chest with Mjølnir. The malevolent Dark Elf was finally killed when his massive Ark collapsed on top of him, crushing Malekith. *'Regenerative Healing Factor': In spite of his body's increased durability, it is possible to injure Malekith, such as when a powerful lighting blast from Mjølnir blackened the right side of his face, though he wasn't affected much besides that. Malekith's metabolism enables him to repair damaged bodily tissues much faster and more extensively than a human is capable of. He is shown healing in stasis pods on board his ship. Using the Reality Stone, he could even regenerate damaged wounds or severed limbs within seconds, as he was quick to begin regenerating his hands after Thor cut them off. *'Longevity': Malekith is billions of years older than the Universe itself, due to his kind having appeared long before the Universe began. The Aether After fusing with the Aether, Malekith gained control over the fabric of Reality and his overall power is augmented to levels that allowed him to rival Thor wielding Mjølnir on equal footing for an extended period of time. In fact, he could have crushed Thor easily, had it not been for his sense of fair play. *'Energy Projection': Malekith was able to use the Aether to unleash blasts, tendrils, and spikes of energy that were powerful enough to pressure and briefly overwhelm Thor using his hammer to defend as well as harm the nearly invulnerable Asgardian. *'Teleportation': Malekith appears to be able to use the Aether to teleport, as shown when he managed to suddenly appear in front of Thor after being send flying to catch him off-guard and hit him. *'Matter Manipulation': Malekith was able to use the Aether to turn matter into dark matter and vice versa, with him wanting to use the Aether to turn the universe back into darkness. *'Size Manipulation': Malekith was able to use the Aether to manipulate his size, notably using it when unleashing the Aether, he grew three times the height of Thor. *'Aether Withdrawal': If someone else absorbed the Aether into their body, Malekith could withdraw it from them and safely absorb it into his own body. *'Enhanced Attributes': Malekith could use the Aether to augment his own strength, durability, and healing to go toe-to-toe against Thor wielding Mjølnir. Abilities *'Master Combatant': Malekith is a highly skilled warrior in both armed and hand-to-hand combat, shown when he quickly and effortlessly took out three armed Einherjar with only his dagger. After fusing with the Aether, Malekith's skill allowed him to go toe-to-toe with Thor, the most powerful and skilled warrior in Asgard, though he was ultimately defeated by the latter after a prolonged battle. *'Expert Tactician': Malekith governed the Dark Elves through respect instead of fear, which is harder to do, earning the undying loyalty of his people, which proves his leadership is truly exceptional When they were threatened, Malekith led the Dark Elves against Asgard for many years and as so has become an extremely efficient tactician. When facing defeat against Bor and the armies of Asgard, Malekith sacrificed most of his own people and ships to decimate the Asgardian army, planning to restore them all with the Aether, a plan which was never fulfilled due to his untimely death. *'Multilingualism': Malekith fluently speaks his native Shiväisith, as well as Midgard English and Asgardian language. Equipment Weapons *'Reality Stone': Malekith was the creator of the Aether, which he forged from the Reality Stone. He was the only one known to effectively use it in combat until Thanos acquired the Stone and proved to surpass his mastery of the Stone's powers, mostly by showing a lack of restraint Malekith possessed because of his honor. The Aether's primary function is to alter reality to fit the user's desires, making him protective of it and causing him to value his occupation. This is seen when Malekith used the Aether to corrode matter into dark matter and then unleash it on the entire universe, with it being implied that he could have wiped out Asgard had he considered it ethical. Malekith can use the Aether to blast tendrils of dark energy capable of overwhelming Thor for a time as well as teleport. While utilizing the Aether, Malekith can regenerate lost limbs within a few seconds, as seen when Thor severed both of his limbs & some of his arms have already been regenerated. *'Dagger': Malekith wields an ancient dagger forged of Dark Matter that predates our own universe. The noble leader of the Dark Elves used this blade during the Asgardian invasion of Svartalfheim and during his siege on Asgard. It was Frigga, mother to Thor and Loki, wife of Odin and queen of Asgard, who wrestled this blade from Malekith’s grasp. *'Black Hole Grenade': A key weapon of the Dark Elves, Malekith's army were the main users of this powerful and destructive weapon. Malekith himself took a grenade from one of his own soldiers and used it to destroy Odin's throne, out of sentiment, during the Sacking of Asgard. Other Equipment Chamber: Malekith housed the Aether's power inside of the Chamber, the only known unit capable of effectively containing the Infinity Stone. However, the Chamber containing the Aether was stolen by the Asgardians during the First Battle of Svartalfheim. Vehicles *'Ark': Malekith and his subordinates of Dark Elves used dozens of Ark ships during war, most notably with the Asgardians. In the aftermath of the First Dark Elf Conflict, one of the last remaining Ark ships housed Malekith and the surviving Dark Elves who hibernated until the next Convergence during 2013. The last Ark ship was ultimately crushed on top of Malekith's helpless body on Svartalfheim. *'Dark Elf Harrow': Malekith and the Dark Elves piloted these ships during the Sacking of Asgard to infiltrate the Asgardian Palace. Relationships Family *Wife † *Son † Allies *Dark Elves - Subordinates **Algrim † Enemies *Asgardians **Bor † **Odin † **Frigga † - Attempted Killer **Thor - Attempted Victim **Heimdall † *Jane Foster *Loki † *Erik Selvig - Killer *Darcy Lewis *Ian Boothby